ICE conducts targeted operation in Snyderville area

Federal agents conduct an early-morning operation Wednesday in the Snyderville area near Ecker Hill Middle School. The Summit County Sheriff’s Office said it was notified of the operation and that federal agents had left the county by about 9:30 a.m. Photo: Photo: Courtesy of a TownLift reader

Sheriff’s Office says federal agents had left Summit County by 9:30 a.m.; operation comes amid scrutiny over local data sharing and immigration enforcement

SUMMIT COUNTY, Utah — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducted a targeted operation in the Snyderville area early Wednesday morning, the Summit County Sheriff’s Office said.

Sgt. Skyler Talbot, public information officer for the Sheriff’s Office, said the agency was notified early Wednesday that ICE planned to operate in the area.

“Our office was made aware early this morning that ICE would be conducting [a] targeted operation in the Snyderville area,” Talbot told TownLift. “As of 9:30, they had completed their operations and left the county.”

A resident contacted TownLift after reporting seeing federal law enforcement activity along the highway near Ecker Hill Middle School at approximately 5:50 a.m. Wednesday. The resident said they contacted Summit County dispatch and were told local authorities were aware ICE was operating in the area.

The resident also reported seeing at least one person taken into custody.

Wednesday’s operation follows several previous ICE actions in the Wasatch Back. In December, the Sheriff’s Office confirmed that federal immigration agents conducted a targeted operation near Kimball Junction. Local deputies did not participate, and Talbot said ICE had notified the agency when agents entered and later left the county.

Local officials have said that type of notification does not mean Summit County deputies are participating in federal immigration enforcement. In February, Talbot told TownLift that ICE has federal authority to operate in Summit County, while Park City police officials said their officers do not enforce federal immigration law.

The operation also comes amid continuing questions about local law enforcement technology and federal access to data collected in Summit County.

TownLift reported in July that automatic license plate reader data collected by the Summit County Sheriff’s Office and Park City Police Department is shared through Motorola’s VehicleManager network, which lists ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the U.S. Border Patrol among agencies with access to shared data.

Summit County separately contracts with Flock Group Inc. for Flock Nova, a platform that can combine multiple public safety data sources, including Motorola license plate reader information, into a searchable system.

The records TownLift reviewed did not establish whether ICE searched Park City or Summit County license plate data in any specific case.